Idle No More

[Nanook]

Has anyone here heard of the Idle No More Movement? If not, you will likely hear about it soon, as it began in Canada, spread to the U.S. and now throughout the world.

Here is the link ot the site, which will have audio when you open the site:

http://idlenomore1.blogspot.com/

Idle No More on FB https://www.facebook.com/IdleNoMoreCommunity


I attended and photographed an Idle No More Flash Mob Round Dance event in Ashland Wisconsin on Christmas Eve, some of my pictures were used in this story on Occupy Wisconsin's site. Excellent article:

https://www.facebook.com/IdleNoMoreCommunity

It was very moving to be part of the Movement inside the Walmart store on Monday afternoon. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...8193894&type=3

Please keep Chief Spence in your prayers, she is on day 14 or so of her hunger strike.

You are also welcome to send tweets to the PM of Canada, asking him to meet with Chief Spence: sent tweets to @pmharper

[Nanook]

Interview with Cheif Spence on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UQ4vMoeD2s

[Emperah]

Yes Nanook, the 1st march was in my city. We bigged them up on the air last Saturday as well

Our PM doesn't giva a damn bout these ppl and their issues ann mi fraid seh dem a guh lowe de ooman fi die outdeh in har tepee.

[Nanook]

Yes Nanook, the 1st march was in my city. We bigged them up on the air last Saturday as well

Our PM doesn't giva a damn bout these ppl and their issues ann mi fraid seh dem a guh lowe de ooman fi die outdeh in har tepee.

It seems so Emperah. We have another Flash Mob Round Dance on Friday but now I worry about Chief Spence, she is on about day 14 or so now of her hunger strike. All she wants is a meeting, how hard can that be? His response last week was to yell "bacon"! Looks like we lost out Bun Fyah emoticon. I can't even figure out how to post pictures here either but that is not important.

The Tribes are all we have to save us from mass destruction of our lands to big corporations. It is up to them and the Treaties, the treaties must be honored or this planet is doomed.

[Emperah]

PM said he believe what they are doing is right so a meeting is not necessary

[Nanook]

PM said he believe what they are doing is right so a meeting is not necessary

I am hoping and praying that before it is too late Harper sees the error of his way of thinking, and meets with Chief Spence. I think this is day 16 of her hunger strike. She has support from all over the world now, and the Idle No More movement is rapidly growing.

From Indonesia

522816_298664903586783_597510634_n.jpg

From Guatemala

545555_298929250227015_598828528_n.jpg

On FB another page "Idle No More Army of Nations" Check out the FB page very interesting with pics and video from all over the world https://www.facebook.com/pages/Idle-...015?ref=stream


Also, 3 women are leaving northern Minnesota this morning headed to Washington DC to urge President Obama to call Harper and uge him to meet with Chief Spence. It is a very small request, Harper is an ***, period.

Here is a FB page where you can see how the trip goes for the 3 women in Minnesota:

https://www.facebook.com/events/530744463616800/

I've been sick all week but if I feel better this afternoon I will be at another Flash Mob @ 5:00pm CST with my camera. If I make it I will post some pics, or a friend will likely be there with her camera and I will use hers. Back later.

Oh yeah I almost forgot, people from around the world are calling Harper at his office demanding he meet with Chief Spence. Here is his number:
We're phone bombing Harper's office today in support of Idle No More: 613-992-4211 They actually answer the phone and their annoyed tone is an
absolute delight.
Re-post
Everyone should make a phone call. They are answering.

[Nanook]

On this page on FB you can follow the journey of the 3 women headed from Minnesota to Washington

https://www.facebook.com/events/530744463616800/

211037_530744463616800_473890798_n.jpg

[Diplomat]

Our PM doesn't giva a damn bout these ppl and their issues ann mi fraid seh dem a guh lowe de ooman fi die outdeh in har tepee.

I fully respect her standing up for what she believes in but why can't she meet with the Aboriginal Affairs minister? He is the PM's representative on/for aboriginal issues.

[Nanook]

I fully respect her standing up for what she believes in but why can't she meet with the Aboriginal Affairs minister? He is the PM's representative on/for aboriginal issues.

Thank you for your post Diplomat. The story is not just from recent (the past few weeks). It actually goes back to some time ago when talks between tribal and Canadian governments about the deplorable living conditions on Chief Spence's (and others) Reservation lead to nowhere. The tribes in far northern Ontario, all over Canada, and the US in general have seen so much sufferation in recent times and not so recent times. Imagine your child forcefully hauled away to a government boarding school, where they are ripped from families & taught to shun the Native way of life. They are the faceless among us, who lived their lives with virtually no identity but what was given them in these boarding schools. I know some of these people.

I can say when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's unless someone was noticeably "Indian", people would not willingly disclose that information. If they had light hair and less accented features, they could fade right into the rest of society, and forget their culture and leave it behind, but never really be able to close those doors. My BFF from HS was Native. In true BFF fashion we are still friends today, and along the way I learned much from her.

In recent times after many decades of hardship on the reservations which are still taking place this minute, some of the Elders are working hard to restore/teach the language/set example of the Indian Way to the next generations. They are teaching the language, traditions, and beliefs which were all but stamped out by the white man. I think a lot of that seeped into my being from when I was young. Though I live in a predomintely white geographic area and have virtually NO IDEA what it is like to grow and live as a person of color, I saw what happened here among the Native population. I only have that experience to draw from when I read and see the atrocities continue today to any culture that is different from the white man, whether it be Native, African, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, etc...IT IS WRONG, we all know it here. Though this dialogue is no different from many threads in this forum throughout the years, this one happens to be about the Native peoples, and now their fight to save our Mother Earth.

As far as the rest of the story, the Bill that was recently passed in Canada, C-45, basically strips the tribes of their rights, and overrides any treaties, thus the government is selling out the land to the big corporations, while ripping the Treaties from the scene. The exact thing is happening in my own back yard and I have been active in fighting new legislation written BY the mining companies to decapitate our own precious lands, and deposit dangerous sulfide mining waste into the river that flows through a nearby Reservation and directly into lake Superior. On it's way to the lake that holds 21% of the world's fresh water, it would turn the Reservation lands into a toxic cesspool, and just a few steps northward, into Lake Superior.

Sorry if this is mumble jumble, I am home sick with a nasty virus or this minute would be 40 miles from here, participating in the Flash Mob Round Dance happening at this time. I will likely post some images a friend is shooting tonight later. For now I will leave you with this link: http://www.theobserver.ca/2012/12/28...t-idle-no-more

Signed, Stephanie (who's own parents shunned my choice of BFF and referred to her as "squaw" and not affectionately & I love her as much today as I did when we were 15.)

[Diplomat]

Your piece wasn't "mumble jumble" and I understood it well enough

The issues re land rights and whatever else for the Aboriginals are extremely complex and to discuss them in an open forum require walking on egg shells. However, for the sake of discussion and in an effort to understand some of what is going on, I am wading in. You will just have to excuse the gaps in my knowledge on these matters.

I am familiar, as are most Canadians who follow the news, with children being hauled off to government boarding schools and some of the other issues back in the 60s. The fact that some of these kids were living in reportedly terrible conditions seems conveniently forgotten by those talking about their removal. It was just a couple of weeks ago that I watched a documentary on the very issue and I was moved at the pain in the voices of some of those children, now adults, some 50 years later. Something wrong was done then, even if some intervention was necessary for the children's sake.

I do not know to what extent the Canadian government is guilty of ignoring the plight of Aboriginals. We hear of the millions of dollars that are made available to them; the fact that some of the leaders are pulling in salaries higher than that of the Prime Minister while people around them are living in very questionable conditions; the lack of housing, schools, employment opportunities despite the millions, and so on. There are far more questions than there are answers.

Because of the lack of financial accountability, we hear that the government is revamping or has revamped how funds are allocated. I know there were some issues around land protection and so on, and even then, the issue of national interests seem to infringe on Aboriginal interests. I readily admit that my understanding of the issues are extremely limited but I cannot help but wonder at times if in some cases Aboriginals want to have their cake and eat it too. In other words, leave us with our land, leave us with our way of life, and oh, by the way, we need millions to improve our well being. Like, where is that money to come from?

I hope you can appreciate that I am not in any way trying to minimize the issues. Like I said at the beginning, they are extremely complex. Having said that, I still believe the Chief would have been better off meeting with the Aboriginal Affairs minister. While meeting the PM may represent a major psychological and public relations victory, especially after her fast, it does not guarantee any tangible movement on the primary issues. That is why I am a tad confused on her stand at no food until she meets with him. Frankly, I struggle with understanding that when he is not her only option.

[Nanook]

I'm sure the issues in Canada are many, as they are here and everywhere. It would be so wonderful if everyone would just get along but so it goes..

Today's update:

From Cheryl Maloney:

Hello facebook friends, I am still in Ottawa with Chief Theresa Spence and her team. We are working on two events for tomorrow Sunday, December 30th. An invitation has been sent out to all Canadian Members of Parliament and Senators yesterday to come and meet with Chief Spence. She is getting tired and no longer able to do a lot of news interviews or receive guest. but she is resting up and will host politicans, of all parties, for a short time on Sunday. At the same time as visits with MP's and Senators, She is asking all supporters to host events at the same time in solidarity with her cause. Last we heard the four girls who started Idle No More will be in Ottawa on Sunday. Chiefs and supporters that can make it to Ottawa will be here and others will be attending events across the Country. Her group has asked the AFN to send out communication encouraging all Mp's and Senators to attend. When I went to bed we had already received our first confirmed Senator and the invtations had just gone out. That is the latest and feel free to share the update.

At this moment there is a Flash mob round dance at the Mall of America in Minnesota. Waiting on news about how that is going.

[Nanook]

There is a broadcast of MOA Idle No More flash mob round dance on UStream http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupymn

A whole lotta people are there! I would love to be there, and I am in spirit.

[Nanook]

One of my FB friends just posted this pic of herself, funny as heck! In a North Dakota Mall.

Check-Injun.jpg

[Nanook]

Video from Mall of America 12/29/12

About 1,000 strong.

Wish I could find the embed video link but this should work as I think everyone is [posting their pics and video publicly. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4802761959932

[Emperah]

One of my FB friends just posted this pic of herself, funny as heck! In a North Dakota Mall.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]280[/ATTACH]